"Senate Bill 481 would create a continuous statewide six-week spring turkey hunting season, eliminate geographical zones and do away with the preference system for awarding permits.
SB481 was introduced Jan. 25 and assigned to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry and Natural Resources. Holperin is chairman of the committee. If signed into law, the bill would basically allow hunters to buy a turkey permit and go hunting anywhere in the state."

In 2009 about 170,000 turkey hunters applied for a tag.
In 2010 149,000 turkey hunters applied for a tag.
In one year we lost 21,000 from our ranks. If this continues what affect will it have on the future of turkey hunting?

later, charlie If you agree with me call it fact; if you disagree - call it my opinion. After all - we are talking turkey.

I am not a Wisconsin turkey hunter but this idea seems like a bad one for the following reasons, here are my pros and cons.

Cons.
1. You are going to run into a lot more hunters in the woods during the early seasons if anyone can go any where at any time.
2. If there are not any limitations on the number of tags per time period or per zone some zones could become over hunted and that could really adversly affect long term turkey hunter recruitment if when a luke warm hunter goes out and does not see any turkeys he/she may not want to go again.
3. How does the NDR control the numbers of turkeys in some areas and promote hunting in other areas.

Pros.
1. You can go hunting as much as you want and any where you want.

Personally if I were a Wisocnsin turkey hunter I would not like this plan.[&:]

Dewey

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." --Mahatma Gandhi

"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."--F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer

here in n.y for the spring season you get two tags for the whole state you can hunt any area that has a season there used to be some places you could only take one tom i don't know if it's still that way my area is two birds .season runs form may 1st to the 31st in 30 years of hunting i can remember seeing another hunter twice oh and you can only take one bird per day . i can't see why it wouldn't be better. the bill might be a push to bring in more out of state hunters[:D] wayne

I'm strongly against this SB481, as anyone in Wisconsin who hunts on public land should be. I'd encourage everyone who hunts turkey on public land to contact their senator and urge them to not support this bill. That is unless you want 6 weeks worth of turkey hunters all showing up on opening morning on your public land hot spot!Thanks, Will

That would be strange and I do agree with Will on some points, plus what about the need to manage the population. I have a farmer near me that begs for turkey hunters, they follow her tractor and pick the corn seed as fast as she puts it in the ground!

look em' in the eye before you give em' the shaft...
be a man hunt public land...

I grew up in Wisconsin, but no longer live there. I live in Iowa now, but will be turkey hunting in WI again this year as a non-resident. I don't think it would be as much of a problem as some would think. Kansas, one of the premiere states in the country runs there season this way, and I believe others do also. BUT, if I was still a WI resident I would be wanting a few safeguards put in place.

#1 - The first two weeks of the season would be open to residents only.
#2 - Certain areas of the state should be a one turkey area, depending on numbers.
#3 - Two gobbler limit for everyone. This would keep people from buying up tags and hunting all season, like you theoretically can do now with the quota system.

Those are a few of the ideas that popped in my head. Good luck to you guys up there. One suggestions, from experience, the DNR and state will do what they want, so sometimes you have to fight for some small things that will make their big changes more bearable.

ORIGINAL: charlie elk In 2009 about 170,000 turkey hunters applied for a tag. In 2010 149,000 turkey hunters applied for a tag. In one year we lost 21,000 from our ranks. If this continues what affect will it have on the future of turkey hunting?

2009 was the year they made applying for a tag VERY easy with the new zone structure and new system. Guys were almost giddy about buying tags. I would think a comparison of applicants between 2008 and 2010 may be more relavent. I looked but could not find where you got the info Charlie (or is that Mr. Elk [;)] ).

I am a non-res public land hunter in Wis and I experienced a LOT of pressure last year in 5th and 6th seasons, were before it was a true quality hunt. I think the ease of getting a late season tag, the amount of leftover tags, and the new zone strucutre was the cause for that.

I also noticed a provision to check your bird online or by phone.

I don't know what this would do for turkey hunting really. The WDNR has to manage turkey hunters as well as turkeys and I am just clueless as how turkey hunters would react to this. My guess is that the late season, when I hunt, will have few turkey hunters. Its just not the most pleasant time to be in the woods due to bugs.

It may end up that you can only get 1 tag and that would eliminate hunters as they tag out. It may also keep some non-res hunters from coming as they can get 2 birds somewhere else for all the travel expense. Looks like they may have a draw for additional tags if available though, or perhaps just go to 2 tags.

At first I thought the 5-day season structure was goofy, but then I really liked it...until last season. I am a non-res though and as a non-res 5-day hunts are about what I do. I guess I think the old season structure had its day, but maybe it is time for a change.

I'm kind of sitting on the fence on this one. Myself I like the idea and I hope it passes. I too hunt a lot of public land about 80% of the time. With it opening up the whole state it allows you a lot more room to hunt and yes it will mess up some of the smaller public areas that only have room for a few people or a person that always got the first season and had the place pretty much to themselfs, but it will also allow you hunt 6 weeks instead of just 5 days. I hope they do away with the extra tages at least at first to help open up more hunting areas. As far as not having a draw for a permit, I'm not sure that would be all that great, because they still need to limit the birds taken. There will be some give and take on both the hunter and the DNR sides, and there will be some rough edges at first, but I think in the long run it'll make for a better hunting oppertunity for all. We'll have to wait and see?

i know nothing on how the wisconsin dnr makes their calls. but i think every state now because of falling numbers of hunters meaning less money for the gov. try to change the rules to bring in the out of state money a lot of times not hearing what the hunters in the state are telling them. here in n.y 5 year ago it was rifles for deer . up i untill then we could only hunt with shotguns when they said we could now use rifles a lot of the locals didn't like it . the dec said thats what the we wanted . when they ask for a show of hands i think there was one or two for . later it was said they made them legel in hopes to bring more pa. hunters up. so maybe the new rules aren't in the best interest of you guys[:D]wayne